Securing the Enterprise Against Blended Security Threats. (Special Advertising Feature).Without a doubt, the Internet has become an essential business communications tool. Its use is rapidly increasing in Latin America Latin America, the Spanish-speaking, Portuguese-speaking, and French-speaking countries (except Canada) of North America, South America, Central America, and the West Indies. as it supports intra- and inter-enterprise research and collaboration, and accelerated business processes. The productivity gains that Web-enabled enterprises may enjoy, however, are tempered by new concerns. An unfortunate side effect of Internet maturity and progress is that adversaries can enjoy equal success. The Nimda worm is the latest example of how the Old World strategy of "one threat, one cure" has become outdated out·dat·ed adj. Out-of-date; old-fashioned. outdated Adjective old-fashioned or obsolete Adj. 1. . The harsh reality Harsh Reality are a little-known, proto-prog band born in Stevenage, Hertfordshire out of the remnants of the Freightliner Blues Band (formerly the Revolution) in the early sixties. is that security threats like Nimda, and also the Code Red -- similar worm released in early August 2001, continues to plague systems, installing a back door on infected in·fect tr.v. in·fect·ed, in·fect·ing, in·fects 1. To contaminate with a pathogenic microorganism or agent. 2. To communicate a pathogen or disease to. 3. To invade and produce infection in. machines that facilitates future attacks even after the worm itself has been removed. Even without user interaction, both worms spread rapidly to hundreds of thousands of computers via the Internet, compromising critical business assets that may lead enterprises to major financial losses. As of August 31, 2001, Computer Economics projects virus and worm attack costs of $10.7 billion. The calculated global cost of the CodeRed worm alone is $2.6 billion. The threats embodied em·bod·y tr.v. em·bod·ied, em·bod·y·ing, em·bod·ies 1. To give a bodily form to; incarnate. 2. To represent in bodily or material form: by Nimda and CodeRed are blended threats Using several techniques to attack a computer system or network. After all, why adopt just one method when viruses, worms, Trojans and software vulnerabilities used in clever combinations can help to ensure that more systems are compromised and more people are harmed? See virus, worm, : that is, they are multi-faceted in their operating methods and effects. The key to effectively secure an enterprise against such blended threats is to address security across all tiers--the gateway, server, and desktop--and across multiple functions--firewall, anti-virus, virtual private networking, intrusion detection See IDS and IPS. , and vulnerability management. To secure the enterprise from future blended security threats, organizations should combine a multi-tiered/multi-function security response with the following proactive, five-step plan: * Use a full inspection proxy firewall and easily updated antivirus software See antivirus program. (tool) antivirus software - Programs to detect and remove computer viruses. The simplest kind scans executable files and boot blocks for a list of known viruses. at multiple tiers. * Use vulnerability management and intrusion detection software. * Deploy security updates immediately. * Use passwords that are not easily guessed, are sufficiently long, and are regularly changed. * Run only network services that are business-critical. By combining a proactive security plan with comprehensive security technologies, organizations can effectively safeguard their enterprise networks from future integrated threats. Cecil Perez, Vice President, Latin America Symantec Corporation |
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